Bendigo has a problem with ibises, but it is not the one you would expect.
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Yes, they stink and are noisy, but the real issue is not that they turn up in large numbers in Bendigo. It is that we move them on with no real plan for where they next land.
Last week the City of Greater Bendigo flagged plans to move ibises on from a Barnard Street pond.
Sure, ibises stink. Walk past the Barnard Street pond every day and it’s obvious something needs to be done, especially as summer looms.
But there is a bigger problem with moving ibises on, which is that the public things once birds are driven away the issue will be solved.
So rather than fix an ongoing and predictable issue, we allow ibises to become trapped in a perpetual cycle of homelessness.
In the past decade ibises have been moved on from areas including Lake Neangar and Lake Weeroona.
Each time, they have appeared somewhere else, just as smelly, if not smellier, than ever.
The council itself will tell you that if they do end up clearing vegetation at the Barnard Street pond the birds will likely end up somewhere else.
Ibises are not simply going to fly off into the wilderness. Victoria’s wild animals are contending with some of the most fractured landscapes in the country. So wildlife of all types are trying to find toeholds in and around cities.
The Wildlife Rescue and Information Network’s Michelle Mead has argued that it is time for better solutions, including a greater focus on spreading out wetland habitat around town. That would dilute ibis noise and stench.
It is likely one of the first salvos in a debate that will stretch into next year and beyond as the council shapes plans for the Barnard Street pond.
It is a conversation that needs to take place before birds leave that pond. Otherwise, they might land in a street near you.
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